da bet esporte： Daniel Levy decision to ignore the approaches of Chelsea and keep hold of Luka Modric has received a huge amount of praise by many within the game as the Tottenham chairman refused to be bullied and bow down to the ever growing trend in football that is ‘Player Power’. I have to confess I thought he would eventually cave in, but I wouldn’t be the first person to underestimate his strength. Lord Sugar once commented that Levy was one of the hardest businessmen to strike a deal with; something that the Chelsea board can certainly concur, given the last few weeks.
da brdice： Whether the decision proves correct and in the club’s best interest remains to be seen, but the bottom line is that it is important a football chairman made a stand. Players have far too much influence these days and like the interested club use the media too freely as a tool in order to get what they want. Of course ambition is always cited as the real reason for a player’s desire to move, but I suppose they will never admit that the chance to double or treble their money is their only motivation. If Modric for example was so concerned by the club’s ambition then why did he sign a six year contract, or not look to insert a clause giving him the freedom to move should the club fail to make the Champions League. It is all pretty transparent why and Levy deserves credit to standing up to this culture of tapping up players.
While Levy comes out of this the hero, a one man stand against player uprisings the real challenge is seeing other chairmen following suit and joining the stand against them. Football clubs have lost far too much control in the last few years, largely down to the ridiculous Bosman and Webster rulings, but it is time to make a stand against those players who have the years on their contract, as failure to do so will see players continue to make a mockery of contracts and the game in general. Whether club Chairman will have the minerals to do so remains to be seen, but it would certainly be refreshing to see some semblance of order returning the game – I for one won’t be holding my breath, as I do wonder how many of them actually have the game’s best interest at heart.